


Out of the Frying Pan, Into My Heart

by Xayna



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-10 07:53:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xayna/pseuds/Xayna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Arthur were never perfect, but they were perfect for each other. Then, Arthur made a major mistake and he has to figure out how to fix it. Will Merlin ever forgive Arthur? Can Arthur earn Merlin's trust back or is it too late?</p>
<p>The inspiration for this story came from Fun.'s album "Some Nights."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the Frying Pan, Into My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> The song for this chapter is "We Are Young." The beginning of the story is very obvious. I didn't mean to steal all of Fun.'s material but the story just played itself out before my eyes. This fic is ENTIRELY unplanned and fairly un-edited. I'm going to work on this as much as I can and hopefully it'll be well received. This is my first submission so be gentle, please.
> 
> This chapter is mostly sex, but it also sets the ball rolling for all of Arthur's and Merlin's immense amount of issues. And I mean immense. Be prepared for lots and lots of angst.

“Be right back!” Arthur yelled so his date, Gwen, could hear him. His blond hair was a bit shaggier than usual and sweat from dancing made it hang in slightly damp strands along his forehead. He shouldered his way from the the bar and moved toward the bathroom at the other side of the room. He bumped into a girl and managed to just barely keep her drink from spilling all over her. She gave him a scathing look and he just shrugged before squeezing in between two people who seemed to be having a very intense conversation. “Sorry, sorry.”  
When he finally reached the bathroom, there was a line, of course, but it was surprisingly short. He got in the bathroom in a matter of minutes where he found, much to his chagrin, his two best friends trying to decide whether to smoke the blunt or the joint first. They were huddled by the hand dryers, deep in conversation.  
To be fair, nobody really cared if people snuck into the bathroom to smoke weed, as long as they weren’t obnoxious about it. Harder drugs were frowned upon, but nobody really stopped them. This wasn’t the type of place where people normally got that fucked up, though, so it was kind of a non-issue.  
“Just smoke them both,” Arthur finally said, staring up somewhere along the far wall. He purposefully avoided eye contact with anyone because really, who wants to make eye contact in the bathroom?  
“Arthur!” Elyan practically shouted. He was a dark skinned young man, barely older than Arthur. He had recently become one of Arthur’s closest friends and they had planned to get together tonight before Gwen had shown up in town. Coincidentally, Gwen and Elyan were siblings and Elyan had been the one to introduce them. “Hey buddy. You wanna hit off this? There’s plenty for all of us.”  
Arthur grinned and shook his head. “Not tonight. Gwen’s out at the bar waiting for me.”  
Leon, a fair skinned, long haired, hippy kind of guy who had been Arthur’s best friend since childhood gave him a small smile. “Aw man. Arthur’s gettin’ it in tonight!”  
Elyan smacked Leon upside the head and practically screamed, “That’s my sister!”  
Leon made a placating hand motion and handed over the blunt. “Here, you can smoke this first.”  
Arthur shook his head and moved forward to relieve himself. After washing his hands, he came back to stand with his friends.  
“Doubt it, mate. Just testing the waters, you know?” Arthur wiped his forehead off with a paper towel. “Trying to see whether or not we get along.”  
Elyan grinned as he took a hit and Leon shook his head. Arthur rolled his eyes and someone shoved him rather rudely.  
“Gwen’s probably waiting for me,” Arthur said, excusing himself without any sort of real good-bye.  
He went to stand at the bar to order himself another beer when he spotted Gwen sitting next to some guy with obnoxious dark sunglasses. Unfortunately, he seemed to have the persona to pull it off, but Arthur couldn’t help but be both annoyed and relieved. He really wasn’t that into Gwen in the first place. He had come on this date to try and get over his last relationship. He was glad Gwen found someone else to talk to. She was nice, just not his type.  
Arthur squeezed his way onto one of the only open bar stools left and managed to get the bartender’s attention. He had a pint sitting in front of him before he noticed who was sitting one seat over.  
“Christ,” he muttered. The man sitting next to Arthur seemed to not notice him, for which he was immensely thankful. The other man, however, looked very forlorn what with him staring into his fruity cocktail with a look of pure sadness on his face. Arthur sighed and looked away, downing his beer in one go.  
The man sitting next to Arthur was beautiful. He had shaggy, dark hair that curled into his eyes which was offset by his porcelain skin. The bones in his cheeks were strong and pronounced and Arthur hated how hollow his cheeks looked. Chance lighting allowed Arthur to see the deep bags under the man’s eyes as well.  
While debating whether to say something, the man looked up and caught Arthur’s eye. The look on the man’s face went from forlorn to scared to angry to resigned in a matter of seconds. “Arthur,” he mumbled. Arthur couldn’t actually hear him, but had plenty of practice reading his lips in clubs like this.  
Arthur didn’t know what to say. He’d been thinking of anything and everything to say to this man since they last saw each other, but nothing sounded right. “I miss you,” came out of his mouth before he could think of anything to convince the other man to stay.  
The man winced. “Arthur, I can’t-”  
“Just let me buy you a drink,” Arthur said. “Merlin, please.”  
Merlin closed his eyes momentarily and nodded. He raised his glass to his lips and Arthur watched his adam’s apple bob three times before he slammed the glass on the counter and wiped at his lips with his arm. Merlin looked Arthur in the eye and Arthur nodded, motioning to the bartender.  
Once their drinks arrived, both men took to staring into their glasses like they held the secrets of the world.  
“Look,” Arthur shouted. “I’m sorry, alright? I’m sorry. I fucked up.”  
Merlin looked at Arthur sideways and took a large drink from his almost full glass. “I know.”  
Arthur looked back into his glass. Of course Merlin knew. Merlin always knew. They were silent for a very long time before Merlin finally spoke.  
“One night.”  
Arthur was confused and didn’t think he heard him right. “What?” he shouted.  
Merlin moved closer to Arthur and put his mouth up against the blonde’s ear. “One night.”  
Arthur was stunned. He could smell the alcohol and sweat that was all Merlin’s. Memories flooded his mind of nights out in clubs like this, Merlin all around him, dancing into the morning, and this exact smell in his nose all night.  
“Merlin, how many drinks have you had?” Merlin looked at his fingers and Arthur saw his lips moving, obviously counting.  
“Don’t remember,” he said eventually.  
“Christ,” Arthur swore. Merlin was notorious for making bad decisions while drunk and was a painful lightweight. If he’d had more than three, he was gone. Arthur wanted the night so badly, but he didn’t want Merlin to regret anything in the morning.  
“Just one,” Merlin continued. “No strings attached. In the morning, you’ll go home before I wake up and we’ll go back to pretending like the other doesn’t exist.”  
“No,” Arthur replied immediately. Merlin was, hands down, the best lay Arthur had ever had, but Arthur couldn’t stand the idea of hurting Merlin even more than he already had.  
The hurt on Merlin’s face disappeared quickly and his look turned stoney. “Fine. Have a good night.” As Merlin stood to move, Arthur grabbed his arm and shoved him back down into his seat.  
“Stay,” he pleaded. “I promise… Fuck, I don’t know what I promise. Just stay.” Arthur paused. “Please.”  
Merlin looked like he was about to get up again, but stopped himself. “Fine.” His body language was still closed off, but at least he didn’t leave.  
“So-”  
“What happened that night?” Merlin demanded before Arthur could begin some benign conversation. “I want to know what exactly happened.”  
The pit of Arthur’s stomach filled with dread while a weight lifted off his shoulders. He’d wanted to have this conversation for so long, but Merlin had completely shut him down every time he tried to bring it up.  
“I was drunk,” Arthur began, but Merlin cut him off again.  
“I know that, you dollophead. I want to know what happened between you and Mithian.”  
“I’m getting there.” Arthur took a deep breath and began again. “I was drunk. We’d just had that huge fight over… hell, I can’t even remember. I went to the bar and started with shots. By the time Mithian showed up, I had lost count of how many shots and I was on something like my sixth beer.” Merlin nodded, staring into his drink that was still mostly full. “When she came and talked to me, I lost it. I started crying, I think, I can’t quite remember. I told her everything that happened and she just sat and listened to me. Then, we kissed. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but we kissed. It took longer than it should have for me to remember why it felt wrong to be kissing her, but I pulled away. I stumbled home but by then, you already knew of what happened.”  
Merlin stared at Arthur, trying to figure out if he was leaving anything out.  
“I didn’t even pay my tab,” Arthur continued. “I had to go back the next day.”  
Merlin nodded. He knew Arthur’s tells and as far as Merlin could see, Arthur was telling the truth.  
“So that’s it?” Merlin asked. “Nothing happened on the way home?”  
Arthur smiled wryly. “I threw up out the cab window.” Merlin snorted.  
“Why’d you do it?”  
“Well, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and the cabbie looked like he would’ve kicked my ass if I puked in his car.”  
“No,” Merlin said forcefully. “That’s not what I’m asking and you know it.”  
Arthur took a long drink and set his pint carefully back on the bar. “I don’t really know. Maybe I was testing the waters, seeing if I was for real about us. Maybe I was just drunk, I don’t know. All I know is that when I was kissing her, I felt terrible. On my way home, I realized that the only person I was interested in kissing was you.”  
Arthur couldn’t look Merlin in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure if Merlin heard him or not, but he had to say it.  
Merlin sighed. “I know,” he said, just as quietly. They sat together in complete silence. The DJ played the song that they had first made love to, and both of the men swore under their breaths. Neither of them believed in coincidence.  
“So,” Arthur said, trailing off into silence.  
Merlin was quiet for an uncomfortable length of time and Arthur was about to disappear and see if Elyan and Leon had any weed left when Merlin spoke. “I want you. Tonight.”  
Arthur looked over at Merlin with a critical eye. The alcohol was beginning to buzz in his system, but it was nothing more than a buzz. “I want you, too,” he admitted.  
“Then let’s go.” Merlin’s words were definitive, but his eyes were pleading. Arthur looked at Merlin’s bedraggled form and wondered how long it had been since Merlin had slept properly. He wanted this night, too. He wanted to forget all of their problems and be together like they used to. Arthur motioned to the bartender and paid his and Merlin’s tabs. Merlin began to complain, but Arthur shut him up with a look.  
Merlin’s flat was a five minute walk from the club and somewhere along the way, Arthur remembered that he left Gwen alone with the sunglasses but Merlin stumbled. When Arthur pulled Merlin close to keep him from falling completely, all thoughts of Gwen disappeared. The only thing on Arthur’s mind was the way Merlin’s thin, lithe body was pressed up against his.  
Arthur couldn’t wait, and Merlin must have felt the same because they moved at the same time into a crushing kiss. All of the pent up grief, anger, jealousy, hurt, and betrayal was forced into one bruising embrace. After an indeterminable amount of time, Merlin pushed against Arthur’s chest and breathed out, “Bed,” before stumbling back in the direction of his flat.  
When they arrived Merlin fumbled with his keys but finally managed to open the door. Nothing had changed since Arthur had last been there; clothes, books, magazines, blankets, pillows, and plates with half-eaten food were scattered everywhere. Arthur thought to comment on Merlin’s lack of housekeeping skills, but Merlin’s lips were on his and nothing else mattered.  
They stumbled back into the far room where the bed was just as messy as the rest of the flat. Arthur broke the kiss to lift Merlin’s shirt off. Merlin was thin, but not scrawny. He had a layer of muscle under his skin and not an inch of fat to be seen.  
“Fuck,” Arthur moaned, moving his hands all over Merlin’s torso. Merlin moved to pull on Arthur’s shirt, making a hungry noise in the back of his throat, but Arthur pushed him back on the bed and began lavishing kisses all over his chest. Merlin made a high pitched whine and swirled his hips in a manner that Arthur thought should be illegal.  
Arthur moved slowly down, finally reaching Merlin’s pants. He tore open his jeans, the button flying across the room. “Arthur,” Merlin grumbled. Arthur mouthed at Merlin’s hard cock through his jeans and Merlin stopped his complaint. “Oh, oh. Oh fuck, Arthur.”  
Arthur grinned ferally and pulled down Merlin’s jeans, Merlin lifting his hips to ease the process. When Merlin’s prick popped out of his pants, Arthur licked his lips. Yes, he’d missed this. One long stroke from the base of his cock to the tip left Merlin making hungry noises and squirming at the hips. Arthur looked up to see Merlin propped up on his elbows, heavy-lidded eyes staring intently at Arthur. Merlin looked completely wrecked; the colour was high in his cheeks and his hair was a mess of dark, shaggy curls.  
Arthur moved his attention back to Merlin’s cock, employing every trick in his arsenal that he knew drove Merlin mad. He felt the bed move as Merlin threw himself fully onto his back. Arthur moaned around Merlin’s cock which made the dark haired man clench all of his muscles at once.  
“Arthur!” Arthur swallowed all of Merlin’s long cock, working the muscles in his throat. “Arthur, if you don’t stop I’m going to - oh! Fuck!” Arthur watched from under his eyelashes as Merlin came unraveled. Rope after rope of thick, sticky cum coated the inside of Arthur’s mouth and Arthur swallowed greedily. Semen wasn’t the best taste in the world but God, had Arthur missed this.  
When the last of Merlin’s seed was safely down his throat, Arthur let go of Merlin’s softening cock and crawled up beside him. Merlin was boneless and curled into Arthur’s arms. Arthur’s chest clenched. Merlin was drunk. He didn’t know what he was doing. And yet, Arthur couldn’t let him go.  
Merlin eventually rallied enough to reach his lips for Arthur’s. They kissed languidly, revelling in their closeness. Arthur’s cock strained against his jeans and it ached, but Arthur wasn’t ready for fulfillment just yet.  
Merlin broke the kiss to shove his jeans and underwear off his legs. He reached to strip Arthur down but his hands were shoved away. “Not yet,” Arthur growled, his voice low and gravelly.  
Arthur reached over into Merlin’s bedside table and grabbed the half-empty bottle of lube he knew would be there. He spread Merlin’s legs and coated his fingers with the lubricant. Merlin had propped his head up using pillows this time so he could watch Arthur more easily.  
Arthur pressed one finger against Merlin’s hole and was surprised by the resistance he felt. Merlin had always been easy to prep. “What…”  
“I couldn’t,” Merlin murmured. “Not if it wasn’t you.”  
“Fuck,” Arthur groaned. “Did you even-”  
“Nothing,” Merlin answered, cutting Arthur off.  
Guilt hit Arthur like a tonne of bricks. “Merlin, I-”  
“Don’t,” Merlin commanded, his eyes dark and guarded. “Just keep going. I need this. You need this.” Arthur nodded and slowly pressed one finger in to the first knuckle.  
Fuck, Arthur thought. So tight.  
Merlin pressed his ass down onto Arthur’s finger and Arthur took it as a cue to keep going. Down to the second knuckle made Merlin keen and when Arthur curled his finger and found the hard bundle of nerves, Merlin almost sobbed.  
Arthur watched Merlin’s cock show signs of interest again and began pumping his one finger in and out slowly. Then, he added a second finger, pushing in slowly and steadily. Merlin looked slightly uncomfortable so Arthur found Merlin’s sweet spot again and rubbed slowly until Merlin relaxed around him. Arthur moved his fingers around and Merlin began humping himself down onto Arthur’s hand, so Arthur pulled out and began inserting a third finger.  
“Arthur,” Merlin exhaled, his voice no more than a whisper. Arthur’s heart clenched in his chest. “Fuck me,” Merlin demanded. “Now.” His voice brooked no argument so Arthur reached back into the bedside table and pulled out a condom. “No. No condom. Just us.”  
Arthur hesitated before putting the condom back and pulling off his clothes. Merlin grabbed his dick and was stroking himself slowly. Arthur swore and shed his clothes as quickly as possible. He liberally coated his cock in lube and lined himself up with Merlin’s stretched entrance.  
Merlin lifted his legs and held them ridiculously close to his chest. He was sinfully flexible and Arthur loved it. As Arthur pressed in, he leaned over Merlin’s folded body. Merlin was so tight around Arthur and Arthur knew he wasn’t going to last.  
Arthur leaned back so he was supported by only his legs and kept thrusting as he reached for Merlin’s cock. As Arthur got closer, his pace became quicker until Merlin was squeaking with every thrust and bucking against Arthur’s cock. Arthur stroked Merlin quickly until Merlin spilled all over his stomach and chest. The sight of Merlin cumming all over himself set Arthur off and he roared as he came.  
Arthur was panting as he came down from his post-orgasmic high. He pulled out of Merlin with a wet squelch and collapsed on the bed beside him. Merlin leaned down and picked up a dirty t-shirt off the floor and wiped himself off. He bunched up the shirt and threw it back on the floor.  
Neither of them said a word as they cuddled together and fell asleep.


End file.
